Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	charity_n	faith_n	justification_n	4,801	5	9.5998	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56454	Nehemiah, or, The excellent governour being a discourse delivered at the cathedrall of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, Aug. 1669, before the Right Honourable Thomas Earl of Ossory ... / by J.P. ...	Parry, John, d. 1677.	1670 (1670)	Wing P558; ESTC R33024	13,453	42

than what lawfully may be done For seeing that deeds truly good are done in Obedience to God in faith and to his glory they flow à Deo in Deum and therefore cannot but cheer up the Soul and breath into it those Comforts which attend upon a good Conscience and add Confidence to our Addresses unto God This St. Paul triumphs in 2 Cor. 1.12 and when man is silent God is oft pleased to shew publickly his remembrance of good Actions done in obedience to him If Abraham put a knife to his sons Throat when commanded God openly remembers it and promises a reward If the people murmur against Moses God himself will vindicate him he is faithful in all my house he owns David to be a man after his own heart and proclaims Iob to be a perfect and an upright man and he tels the Church of Thyatira I know thy works and charity and service and faith and patience and therefore we may safely conclude that this kind of representment of good deeds to God infers neither presumptiō in the Agent nor merit unto Iustification for a deed may be good in its kind yet not meritorious and a good man may rejoice in the testimony of a good Conscience without arrogance or boasting To Nehemiah therefore and such as he is it may be said Thou hast been faithful to God and thy own Master no hazards could stagger thy principles nor the potency of several factions lessen thy care of God's service and honour the whole Nation hath for many years tasted of the Sweets of thy Government and the Revenue and Persons of Priests shrouded under thy protection and therefore however men may be affected yet it is thy comfort that thou hast an infallible Record in heaven who sees in secret and openly rewardeth to him thou mayst freely call Remember me c. Nehemiah clears him from presumption by being to be spared Spare me c. And to all this let me adde two words more which Nehemiah makes use of wholly to clear his words from presumption thus v. 22. Remember me and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy God's sparing is an act of Providence it is the not inflicting of that evil on a person which God might in justice or power send down it is sometimes exprest by not imputing by covering sin and pardoning offences and therefore done according to multitude of mercies And truly the deformity of Sin is so monstrous and the Curses wich attend upon it so hideous and many as that to spare when punishment is deserved to forget the sin and remember the sinner is not a single kindness but a multitude of mercy Thus you see Nehemiah's request Spare me O my God is not the Language of pride nor the pleadings of merit t is no Pharisaical lisp but the groan of a Penitent God be merciful to me a sinner And truely we may find that Nehemiah Good reason for it though never so godly hath good reason to beg for a Spare me for though his good deeds as such do not deserve a reward yet they are not as such subjects of punishment however he hath reason to cry Spare me For 1. Because he may smart for the peoples sins There is an union and consociation betwixt the Magistrate and People and we oft find that the one is punisht for the misdemeanours of the other Thus some thousands of David's Subjects smart for his sin of numbring the people and an excellent Josiah removed for the sin of Judah God was angry with Moses for the peoples sake and let Nehemiah be as just and as innocent as he can yet he may suffer for the peoples corruption and therefore in prevention of this he may cry Spare me O my God 2. It is certain that the best of his deeds had their mixture of imperfection and therefore being conscious to his own failings he begs for pardon and acceptance Magistrates are but men and not utterly priviledged from the passions of flesh and bloud 2 Tim. 2.1 and therefore St. Paul enjoyns supplications prayers intercessions and giveing of thanks for all in Authority we are obliged not onely to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanks for the happinesse of Government and the good it brings with it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supplications for the averting of Calamity from their persons and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayers for those graces they stand in need of and we must send up to the throne of Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intercessions for God's pardoning unto them their sins for his remission of their personal offences as well as their publick failings This well weighed would stop the censures of men a sense of this invites Nehemiah to wave all thoughts of his good deeds to banish any thing which exceeds an humble Spare me he claims not a Crown for his merit but petitions for a pardon for his failings and that according to the multitude of mercies Lastly Nehemiah closes up his whole Book with one word which wholly clears his Prayer from presumption and that is Remember me O my God for Good 1. For good This is the voice 1. Remember me for good This voice 1. of Humility of Humility whereby he acknowledges himself to be in a state capable of being made better though he be highly loved by his Prince and of great authority at Court and tenderly honoured by Priest and People yet there is a greater good than all this which he aimes at and makes the object of his desires and this he looks for there onely where it can be had from his God to him he cries Remember me for good 2. For good 2. Of Faith This is the voice of confidence and trust it implies his stedfast beliefe that there is a reward laid up for good deeds in general and that his good services particularly shall be crowned with good This God hath promised and therefore every good man of us as well as Nehemiah may rely upon it especially if we make God peculiarly our own by our relyance and faith so as to call him justly my God and if we evidence out faith by our good deeds to God and to Man if every one of us in our own Spheres discharge our duties to God to our King and to one another if we do all this sincerely and constantly we may then confidently pray with good Nehemiah Lord remember me we may then be assured we shall not be forgotten and that our humble Spare me will be attended with the greatest good Application I should now descend to Application but that I am confident that most of this Auditory have done that in their thoughts already and therefore I shall conclude all with these 2 or 3 Queries Three queries which I shall leave to your own resolution Whether when we of this Kingdom were like those of Ierusalem at a low ebb surrounded with stormes and unexpected tempests when enemies prest us without and calamities and distresse disheartned us within whether then we were not happy in a gracious King who pittying our sad estate did give Commission to a real Nehemiah whose wisdom and vigilance whose courage and conduct preserved a very small handful from violence and ruine whether our Pilot did not generously engage in our storms to keep us safe neglecting his private ease for the publick good and charitably relieving the naked and poor when he had but little left to maintain himself 2. When Rapine and Confusion encroached upon the Office as well as the Patrimony of the Church when the chambers of the Sanctuary were fill'd with Tobiah and his followers when the portions of Gods Altar were shared betwixt Sanballat and his crue whether then we were not once more by the care of our present Soveraign made happy with his return under whose wing and protection we had been formerly preserved whether he hath not upon all occasions both before and now encouraged religion and respected the very persons as well as the function of the Clergy Whether he did not refuse all profers which were in the least inconsistent with his duty to God or his Prince or the tranquillity of his Charge whether I say upon all opportunities he hath not shewed himself a Nehemiah indeed Lastly if upon search we find all this and much more to be true then whether we of this place are not obliged 1. to thank God for his mercy 2 to thank our Sovereign for his still continued care in sending such to cherish and protect us 3. to conclude all whether it does not befit us that that request which Nehemiah in my Text put up for himself may be our joynt Prayer for him whose Government and Care we have had so kind an Experience of viz. That God would remember both him and us for good that he would spare them according to the multitude of his mercies that he would not wipe out all the good deeds which he and they all have done for this whole Nation for God's Church and for the Offices thereof Amen FINIS